We said farewell on December 7th to Elizabeth Edwards, lawyer, wife of former Democratic vice-presidential nominee John Edwards, mother of four and hero to women living with breast cancer.

She passed away from complications of the disease, after a brave six-year battle, at her North Carolina home surrounded by friends and family. She was 61.

Monday, on her Facebook page, Edwards wrote: “I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces, my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope.

“These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that.”

Edwards discovered a half-dollar-size tumor in her breast in 2004, around the time of her husband’s failed bid for vice president, according to “USA Today.” She was diagnosed with Stage II invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer, and was treated with chemotherapy and a lumpectomy.

She subsequently wrote two best-selling books, Resilience and Saving Grace:Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers, about her battle with the illness.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S., after skin cancer. It’s the second leading cause of cancer death in women, according to the American Cancer Society.

Despite Edwards’ vigilant management of the disease, it returned in 2007 and spread to her bones, while her husband was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination against Barack Obama.

The now stage IV cancer was declared treatable but incurable.

Within a year, Edwards faced another public battle when she found out her husband had an extramarital affair, and a child, with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter. She and John separated, and Edwards focused on her health and children: Catharine, 28; Emma Claire, 12; and Jack, 10. Another son, Wade, was killed in a car accident in 1996.

“I have to prepare for the possibility if I die before they are grown" to make them "able to function without an involved, engaged and admiring parent," she said at the time.

"So I need to create the picture for them that I want them to have."

In June 2010, Edwards learned that the disease had reached her legs, spine and skull. On Monday, the family issued a statement saying it had spread to her liver and further treatment would be unproductive.

Of her brave battle, Edwards said, "Either you push forward with the things that you were doing yesterday or you start dying. If I had given up everything that my life was about ... I'd let cancer win before it needed to."